Flirt with the odds or hit the dance floor at Muckleshoot

Gazing over the 25-acre, apparently exponentially expanding funhouse called the Muckleshoot Casino, reflecting on the game (in many senses of the word) it has brought to South King County over the past decade, soaking in its splashes of neon and blasts of adrenaline ... it's tempting to call this city Las Auburn.

While it's a long, long way to Vegas, the Muckleshoot has certainly brought some Nevada flash to Auburn and its neighbors. Since this tribal-owned-and-operated casino opened (in a tent almost 10 years ago), Auburn — farmland-turned-suburbia — has never been the same.

Driving through the city from I-5, it seems like you're seeing double: two McDonald's, two Payless shoe stores, two Denny's, two Wendy's, two Arby's ... double-down convenience, if not charm. The chains disappear as Auburn Way blends into Highway 164. After sundown, you hit a stretch of quiet, unlit country road, you turn a bend and then — wham — there it is: an explosion of electricity lighting up the southeast Auburn night. A giant video screen amid the neon shows people winning and having assorted great fun. It then turns to screaming text: "MUCKLESHOOT CASINO THE BIGGEST AND BEST IN THE NORTHWEST."

"Best" is rather subjective, but you won't argue with "biggest" once you turn into the parking lot, a massive stretch of blacktop with hundreds of spaces. Most weekend nights, it's as packed as a pre-Christmas mall parking lot, so the Muckleshoot has added a seven-floor, 2,700-space parking garage. And, last Friday night, even that new garage was pretty full.

If you come by here once a year or so, you'll be amazed at the growth — it seems like one of those sci-fi creatures that gets exposed to radiation and keeps mutating ever larger. Since it opened 10 years ago this April, the Muckleshoot has had four major expansions, more than tripling its original size and greatly diversifying its offerings.

There are plenty of card houses and mini-casinos around the Northwest, but the Muckleshoot is one of the rare ones that puts the bling in gambling.

The Muckleshoot is the only full-fledged casino in King County, but (like its Tulalip and Emerald Queen counterparts to the north and south) it strives to be as much an entertainment center as a gamblers paradise — or, at least, some combination of the two.

The fun begins

Once you park and make the trudge to one of the casino entrances, you step into a 200,000-square-foot entertainment center, where people come to eat, drink and be gamblers. This is one of the most diverse night destinations around, where you'll find young adults (21 and over), middle-agers and senior citizens, black, white, Native American, Asian, Hispanic.

The ratio of casual-gambling fun-seekers to pros here seems to be at least 25-to-1, as the Muckleshoot puts almost as much emphasis on entertainment and dining as in betting. Well, maybe "almost" is a bit of an exaggeration — hanging out at the craps table for a few minutes, you'll see the house practically shoveling in chips.

A cynic might say this place has more suckers than a lollipop factory. (If you leave with a light wallet, you can take heart in knowing that millions of dollars of the casino's winnings go to good causes, such as new Muckleshoot schools and a medical center.)

The place has as much foot traffic as a busy airport, and the novice might easily get lost.

Numbers fill the air: "I'm up 50." "I've only got 20." A big chunk of the casino is devoted to slot machines, which, unlike their change-clinking Vegas counterparts, take pre-purchased "tickets" rather than coins, and fill the air with goofy digitalized sounds.

A section of the casino has keno screens flanked by TVs, tuned to ESPN and ESPN2 — one of them is playing "Tilt," an ESPN-produced soap opera set in the poker world. Speaking of poker:

"Murray and Alan, I have seats for both of you at Table 2."

This isn't a restaurant, it's the Muckleshoot poker room, where gamblers check in at the front desk and, on busy nights, have to wait for an opening at one of dozens of tables.

Hitting the club

In the middle of all the gambling, there is an oasis of music: Club Galaxy. This spacious bar has an elevated, deep stage for bands, huge video screens and a wide, seductively lit dance floor — jamming, on most weekend nights.

Some come here simply to take a break from gambling; many make a beeline to the Galaxy, bypassing the tables. These are the singles, trying to hit the love jackpot. Three hearts. Watch out for those jokers ... Uh oh, someone caught a lemon.

Ring-less women come dressed to impress, in cocktail dresses and tight outfits. Many of the men are disco-ed up as well, with a few sharp suits.

A Motown cover band called Next Movement — fronted by four male singer/dancers in matching red suits — started playing around 9:30 on this Friday night. By the second chorus of "Love Machine," the dance floor was filled, looking like a reunion of the class of '73.

Falsettos? Check. Bootsy Collins-type bass playing? Check. Choreographed dance moves? Check.

Next Movement has it going on, playing a tight, smooth set of disco/R&B, doing nice versions of the likes of "Boogie Woogie Dance" and Earth, Wind & Fire's "Serpentine Fire" — including the do-not-attempt-this-at-home high notes.

(Speaking of Earth, Wind & Fire, a few of that band's members perform as Devoted Spirits at the Triple Door tomorrow night.)

There aren't many nightclubs like this for miles around, so the Galaxy might draw a crowd even if it wasn't surrounded by an electrified casino. Live, slick cover bands perform here every night, with no admission charge.

Top 40/R&B cover bands Raye Anne's Groove and Groove City play tonight, starting at 6. Tomorrow's music starts at 2 in the afternoon, with the Beatniks opening up a Beatles-era playlist, followed by the two bands that also play tonight.

Sunday's music also starts at 2 p.m., with Bob Alek playing oldie standards, then the Fabulous Farelanes getting a '50s-rock groove on, and then the busy Groove City. The Galaxy Band plays Asian pop on Monday night and then Groove City gets back to work Tuesday through Thursday nights.

Club Galaxy is something of a rarity in this corner of our youth-dominated, MTV-generation galaxy — a club where forty-, fifty- and even sixtysomethings can cocktail it up, dance, socialize and hear "the good stuff."

As one young woman said to her friend, "I love this kind of music!"

Dining: a good bet

And who doesn't love food? Believe it or not, some people come to the Muckleshoot just to eat — the casino has five restaurants and is well known in the area for its "Pisces Seafood Buffet." Like just about everything else in this center, the buffet is massive — Muckleshoot-sized?

Perhaps this is the only sure-fire way to beat the house: avoid the gambling tables and money-eating slot machines, enjoy the free music and economical dining.

Tom Scanlon: tscalon@seattletimes.com